Nasal seal, mask and respiratory interface assembly

Abstract

A nasal seal, mask or an interface assembly have a seal body defining a breathing chamber. A nasal port is provided in the seal body. The nasal port has a central portion straddled by a pair of lateral portions. The nasal port further has an upper edge and a lower edge. The upper edge defines an inwardly projecting portion within the central portion. The lower edge defines an inwardly protection portion within the central portion. Thus, the nasal port can be generally bean-shaped or bowtie-shaped. The mask can include a frame having a central portion that supports the seal and a pair of arm portions that extend rearwardly of the seal and are configured to connect to headgear. The central portion can be more rigid than the arm portions. The mask can be configured to reduce noise transmitted through a bias flow vent.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A nasal seal, comprising:
 a seal body defining a breathing chamber, the seal body configured to receive a user's nose and sealingly contact an underside of the user's nose; 
 a nasal port in the seal body positioned beneath the nares of wearer; and 
 wherein the nasal seal comprises a pair of thickened wall portions that, in use, contact the user's cheeks, wherein the pair of thickened wall portions each extend into a bottom wall of the seal body, the thickened wall portions each having a wall thickness that is greater than a wall thickness of adjacent portions of the seal body, the thickened wall portions each comprising a groove defined within the thickened wall portion that allows decoupled movement of portions of the thickened wall portion on opposing sides of the groove, wherein each groove extends laterally into and has an end located within the bottom wall of the seal body, wherein the ends of the grooves are separated from one another by a region of increased thickness in the bottom wall. 
 
     
     
       2. The nasal seal of  claim 1 , wherein the nasal port comprises a central portion positioned between a pair of lateral portions, the nasal port further comprising an upper edge and a lower edge; wherein the lower edge defines an inwardly projecting portion within the central portion. 
     
     
       3. The nasal seal of  claim 2 , wherein the inwardly projecting portion is curved. 
     
     
       4. The nasal seal of  claim 1 , wherein the nasal port is kidney-shaped or bowtie-shaped. 
     
     
       5. The nasal seal of  claim 1 , further comprising a thickened rim portion extending around a portion or an entirety of a periphery of the nasal port, the thickened rim portion having a larger wall thickness than a portion of the seal body immediately adjacent the thickened rim portion. 
     
     
       6. The nasal seal of  claim 1 , wherein the seal body comprises a central portion positioned between a pair of lateral portions, wherein in use the seal body is configured such that the lateral portions move inwardly when pressure is applied to the central portion by a user. 
     
     
       7. The nasal seal of  claim 1 , wherein a user-facing surface of the nasal seal comprises a thinned wall portion. 
     
     
       8. The nasal seal of  claim 7 , wherein the thinned wall portion of the user-facing surface has or is equal to the smallest wall thickness of the seal body. 
     
     
       9. The nasal seal of  claim 1 , wherein the wall thickness of the thickened wall portions define or are equal to a largest wall thickness of the seal body. 
     
     
       10. The nasal seal of  claim 1 , further comprising a connector configured to allow the nasal seal to be coupled to a frame, wherein the connector comprises a first portion within the seal body and a second portion outside of the seal body, wherein the first portion and the second portion are coupled to one another. 
     
     
       11. The nasal seal of  claim 10 , wherein the first portion comprises a flange and a hub, wherein the hub extends through an aperture of the seal body and wherein the second portion is coupled to the hub of the first portion. 
     
     
       12. The nasal seal of  claim 11 , wherein the seal body comprises a rim extending partially or entirely around the aperture, wherein the rim is captured between the first portion and the second portion. 
     
     
       13. The nasal seal of  claim 12 , wherein the rim comprises a generally T-shaped cross-section having a base, a first lobe extending in a first direction from the base and a second lobe extending in a second direction from the base opposite the first direction. 
     
     
       14. The nasal seal of  claim 13 , wherein each of the first portion and the second portion of the connector comprises a recess configured to receive a respective one of the first lobe and the second lobe. 
     
     
       15. The nasal seal of  claim 10 , wherein the seal body and the connector comprise interfering portions that inhibit or prevent relative rotation between the seal body and the connector. 
     
     
       16. The nasal seal of  claim 1 , wherein the seal body has a first texture on a user-contacting side and a second texture on the opposite side, wherein the second texture is different from the first texture. 
     
     
       17. The nasal seal of  claim 1 , wherein a portion of each of the thickened wall portions define a rearward-facing surface of the seal body configured to contact the user's cheeks. 
     
     
       18. The nasal seal of  claim 1 , wherein a depth of the groove is less than the wall thickness of the thickened wall portion. 
     
     
       19. The nasal seal of  claim 1 , wherein the region of increased thickness in the bottom wall comprises a pair of struts. 
     
     
       20. The nasal seal of  claim 19 , wherein each of the pair of struts is located at the end of one of the grooves. 
     
     
       21. The nasal seal of  claim 20 , further comprising a sub-nasal groove located in the bottom wall of the seal body between the pair of struts. 
     
     
       22. The nasal seal of  claim 19 , wherein each of the pair of struts has a wall thickness that is different than a wall thickness of an adjacent portion of a front wall and a rear wall of the seal body.